You’ve got to have a real pos take to be able to excuse/justify what’s on those videos. And I mean that quite sincerely.
Agree and would add that's especially true of police assigned to special units like the Memphis SCORPION unit.
Police Killings by Country 2023 Per this link, in 2020 US police killed 946 individuals, a rate of 28.54 per 10M people. In 2019, UK police killed 3, a rate of .5 per 10M. The vast majority of UK policeman don't carry firearms. They rely on other techniques of policing and don't encounter a massively armed populace. I don't think human beings are any worse in the US, but I think our environment certainly is. I assume the reasons are multi-faceted: poverty, obsession with firearms, poor police techniques/training/oversight, etc. We state that our way of doing things are better, safer, etc. Are they? I totally buy into the ideals of America (original marketing materials), but I'm still waiting for the actual America to become the idea of America.
Not that uncommon, but usually it's the "quit resisting" while they beat the hell out of you, or "give me your hands!" while other cops are kneeling on the suspects arms. Here's a prime example of "going for the gun" in the very first clip of this video. Officer immediately starts the encounter with violence, then goes for the ole "going for my gun" when the suspects hands are clearly up.
America, as long as you are someone smart and savvy enough to avoid and be away from all the bullst like this, is the best
Apparently you and I didn't watch the same video. While it was an incredibly dumb decision, Tyre Nichols was already being beaten even though he was making a good faith effort to comply with the instructions of the police officers before he decided to run. It was an act of desperation and unfortunately for him it had the effect of enraging them even more. Just my opinion but certain police officers appear to have a psychological need to demonstrate their dominance and that's probably even more so with those assigned to supposedly elite special units like the so called SCORPION unit in Memphis.
I’m my short time in patrol with Tampa PD (1977-1978) I found out that there were not enough officers to take calls. We were constantly down reports that had to be turned in before you left you shift. We were constantly recruiting officers. That same issue still presents itself today in many departments. Now fast forward to the present and it’s more difficult to recruit police officers. One comment I continue to hear from good cops (now retired) I’ve known or worked with over the years is they would not become police officers under todays conditions. Neither would I. Why? Because the bad cops get the press which causes many people to look at all cops as bad. That will keep many good people from a career in policing.
I understand what your saying, but my questions aren't about the individual, but all of us. No one should have to worry about these situations for the most part. I keep wondering why we keep accepting all of this.
It was awful and I hope swift justice comes upon them. I was defending the job of police officers in this country. No questions these Memphis officers were cowards and criminals. My heart just plummeted reading the description of this horrible situation.
Some people wether right or wrong are deathly afraid of cops. That needs to be considered. One very important detail is the level of crime and circumstances prior to any interaction. I was taught in the academy that I could only use deadly force on a fleeing suspect under extreme conditions. An example would be an armed person running away that had just committed a crime with a gun. A gun that was used to shoot someone or shot at someone. You damn well better know that the person you are chasing is the one who did the crime. That’s a tough one since most cops arrive after the incident occurs. It’s a difficult position to be put in.
Take a drive through Bunnell, FL at around, well just about any time, and you’ll see exactly what is wrong with policing in this country. Bunnell PD and Flagler County Sheriffs will invent all kinds of nonsensical bullshit to pull you over, and attempt to search your vehicle. Corruption to the core. Now, I KNOW there are law enforcement officers that DO try to perform their duties in a proper, law abiding manner. Unfortunately, I think those officers commonly turn a blind eye to the transgressions of others in the “brotherhood”.
I bolded part of your comment for emphasis. Police violence, cliques, and secret tattoos: fears rise over LA sheriff 'gangs' | US policing | The Guardian
I drive through Bunnell on the way to our house in Palm Coast. I have never see someone pulled over the way you are implying. Now I will say…they have some sick sense of humor to pad the coffers around Thanksgiving. They would have an officer with a chefs hat and a Turkey radar people at the bottom of the overpass to 95 on Palm Coast Parkway getting people coming down the hill. Had an entourage of nine cops and cops ready to pull people. That was ridiculous. But never seen anything to suggest cops would pull people over just to search a vehicle.
Hence the reason it was an analogy. I found it to be a useful way to relate things that have happened to very few people to a situation almost all of us a are familiar with.
I watched much of the video and it wasn’t exactly what I expected. I’m not making any excuses for cops beating up the dude, there is no excuse for that period. What happened before they pulled him out of the car? It seems like they kind of went in “hot”. From he video I can’t really tell how much the victim was complying or not. I’m not sure what motivated the cops to use a taser, the guy was still in the ground. It just seems like we need to rethink protocols, and officers need to be better trained on physically restraining somebody, if and when that is absolutely necessary. We keep taking tools away, like chokeholds, or a knee in the back, because on occasion they have been abused, then they have less options to restrain and they inevitably end up using worse tactics like beating punching and kicking. There are techniques that could be used and have been rolled out effectively in some cases that are some basic ju jitsu type maneuvers.
I don't expect hear anything directly from the officers. My guess is that the most that we can expect would be written statements issued through the attorneys representing the officers and even that is by no means a sure thing.
Does a good cop have to actively try to get rid of the bad cops (either by getting them fired or arrested) to be a good cop? How many do?
